Jennifer Fisher provides a history of the “making it macho” strategy for men often employed in the dance world, which has been a response to the prejudices against ballet men throughout the 20th ...
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Jennifer Fisher provides a history of the “making it macho” strategy for men often employed in the dance world, which has been a response to the prejudices against ballet men throughout the 20th century and beyond. By looking at various rhetorical strategies in dance biography (Shawn, Nureyev, Bruhn), movies (Shall We Dance? The Turning Point), and television (So You Think You Can Dance), it foregrounds the frequency and futility of binary thinking in relation to masculinity as well as femininity when it comes to ballet performance. It references analysis of modern masculinity by Michael Kimmel and George Mosse, as well as dance analysis by Julia Foulkes and Ramsay Burt. It is suggested that, given the challenges for men in the feminized world of ballet, they trade the “macho” moniker for that of “maverick.”Less

Maverick Men in Ballet : Rethinking the “Making It Macho” Strategy

Jennifer Fisher

Published in print: 2009-12-01

Jennifer Fisher provides a history of the “making it macho” strategy for men often employed in the dance world, which has been a response to the prejudices against ballet men throughout the 20th century and beyond. By looking at various rhetorical strategies in dance biography (Shawn, Nureyev, Bruhn), movies (Shall We Dance? The Turning Point), and television (So You Think You Can Dance), it foregrounds the frequency and futility of binary thinking in relation to masculinity as well as femininity when it comes to ballet performance. It references analysis of modern masculinity by Michael Kimmel and George Mosse, as well as dance analysis by Julia Foulkes and Ramsay Burt. It is suggested that, given the challenges for men in the feminized world of ballet, they trade the “macho” moniker for that of “maverick.”

This book offers a new perspective on one of the most puzzling questions faced by Shaw scholars—how to reconcile the artist's individualist leanings with his socialist Fabian ideals. The book does ...
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This book offers a new perspective on one of the most puzzling questions faced by Shaw scholars—how to reconcile the artist's individualist leanings with his socialist Fabian ideals. The book does this by viewing Shaw as a maverick whose approach was impossible to duplicate and grew out of his unique artistic temperament, his outlook, and his vocation. Shaw's activities in promoting the Fabians' goals of advancing social democracy were highly distinctive. He effectively used calculated irritation as an attention-getting tactic; he relied on devices that he had formulated as a creative rhetorician, rather than on the academic principles that were second nature to most of his fellow Fabians; and he devised and championed the use of indirect means to “persuade the world to take our ideas into account in reforming itself.”Less

Bernard Shaw as Artist-Fabian

Charles A. Carpenter

Published in print: 2009-09-01

This book offers a new perspective on one of the most puzzling questions faced by Shaw scholars—how to reconcile the artist's individualist leanings with his socialist Fabian ideals. The book does this by viewing Shaw as a maverick whose approach was impossible to duplicate and grew out of his unique artistic temperament, his outlook, and his vocation. Shaw's activities in promoting the Fabians' goals of advancing social democracy were highly distinctive. He effectively used calculated irritation as an attention-getting tactic; he relied on devices that he had formulated as a creative rhetorician, rather than on the academic principles that were second nature to most of his fellow Fabians; and he devised and championed the use of indirect means to “persuade the world to take our ideas into account in reforming itself.”

This conclusion is a reflection on the life and accomplishments of Chinn. It begins by considering the definition of the word maverick, which fits Chinn well: in his time considered himself and was ...
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This conclusion is a reflection on the life and accomplishments of Chinn. It begins by considering the definition of the word maverick, which fits Chinn well: in his time considered himself and was considered by others a nonconformist. In his roles as a military weapons expert, a colonel in the military, and director of the Kentucky Historical Society, Chinn was unafraid to give his own opinion and follow his own route. The chapter concludes by lauding Chinn and mavericks in general.Less

An Assessment of Colonel George Morgan Chinn

Carlton Jackson

Published in print: 2015-07-01

This conclusion is a reflection on the life and accomplishments of Chinn. It begins by considering the definition of the word maverick, which fits Chinn well: in his time considered himself and was considered by others a nonconformist. In his roles as a military weapons expert, a colonel in the military, and director of the Kentucky Historical Society, Chinn was unafraid to give his own opinion and follow his own route. The chapter concludes by lauding Chinn and mavericks in general.

Often deemed the founder of British radicalism, John Wilkes (1725–1797) had a shattering impact on the politics of his time. His audacity in challenging government authority was matched by his skill ...
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Often deemed the founder of British radicalism, John Wilkes (1725–1797) had a shattering impact on the politics of his time. His audacity in challenging government authority was matched by his skill and determination in attaining his objectives: the freedom of the press to criticize ministers and report Parliament; enhanced security for individuals and their property from arbitrary arrest and seizure; and the rights of electors. That he was a political maverick, of witty and wicked reputation, has led historians to underestimate him — this is the first researched biography since 1917. Contemporaries appreciated his achievements more than posterity, one obituarist writing that ‘his name will be connected with our history’. This biography provides an intriguing portrait of the man George III referred to as ‘that Devil, Wilkes’.Less

John Wilkes : A Friend to Liberty

Peter D. G. Thomas

Published in print: 1996-03-28

Often deemed the founder of British radicalism, John Wilkes (1725–1797) had a shattering impact on the politics of his time. His audacity in challenging government authority was matched by his skill and determination in attaining his objectives: the freedom of the press to criticize ministers and report Parliament; enhanced security for individuals and their property from arbitrary arrest and seizure; and the rights of electors. That he was a political maverick, of witty and wicked reputation, has led historians to underestimate him — this is the first researched biography since 1917. Contemporaries appreciated his achievements more than posterity, one obituarist writing that ‘his name will be connected with our history’. This biography provides an intriguing portrait of the man George III referred to as ‘that Devil, Wilkes’.

In the 1920s, American composers were true mavericks—that is, highly eccentric and individualistic—yet were successful because they self-organized in tightly knit societies. In this process, they ...
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In the 1920s, American composers were true mavericks—that is, highly eccentric and individualistic—yet were successful because they self-organized in tightly knit societies. In this process, they demonstrated a pattern found throughout American history: a radical vision attained through communalism. Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, and Charles Seeger are three such maverick composers who strongly adhered to a thoroughgoing and systematic dissonance, where one finds traces of Puritanism. Harry Partch is most directly and overtly associated with the myth of American individualism, one whose music is essentially communal. John Cage seemed to be indifferent to geography, a reflection of his own disassociation from community. Cage's anticommunalism is entirely consistent with his purpose of non-intention, and his position is curiously close to some aspects of minimalism. La Monte Young also disdained the idea of community. A special edge that marked American history, the edge of chaos between nature and civilization, was recognized by both Frederick Jackson Turner and Ralph Waldo Emerson.Less

Looking Back : Puritanism, Geography, and the Myth of American Individualism

Broyles Michael

Published in print: 2004-03-11

In the 1920s, American composers were true mavericks—that is, highly eccentric and individualistic—yet were successful because they self-organized in tightly knit societies. In this process, they demonstrated a pattern found throughout American history: a radical vision attained through communalism. Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, and Charles Seeger are three such maverick composers who strongly adhered to a thoroughgoing and systematic dissonance, where one finds traces of Puritanism. Harry Partch is most directly and overtly associated with the myth of American individualism, one whose music is essentially communal. John Cage seemed to be indifferent to geography, a reflection of his own disassociation from community. Cage's anticommunalism is entirely consistent with his purpose of non-intention, and his position is curiously close to some aspects of minimalism. La Monte Young also disdained the idea of community. A special edge that marked American history, the edge of chaos between nature and civilization, was recognized by both Frederick Jackson Turner and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This book focuses on America's maverick composers, those who lived unusual lives or flaunted norms and wrote works that were considered incomprehensible and even unplayable. It examines the role of ...
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This book focuses on America's maverick composers, those who lived unusual lives or flaunted norms and wrote works that were considered incomprehensible and even unplayable. It examines the role of the maverick in American music and culture. It looks at a number of mavericks, most of whom are composers of art music, including William Billings, John Cage, Anthony Philip Heinrich, Frank Zappa, Charles Ives, Leo Ornstein, La Monte Young, Steve Reich, Carl Ruggles, Henry Cowell, Harry Partch, and Meredith Monk. The book shows that the maverick tradition lies at the center of the myth about rugged individualism. In tracing the history of the maverick tradition, the book considers the role of nature, both physically and metaphorically, in opposition to notions of science and progress. Moreover, it discusses the forces both in the musical community and in American culture that account for the rise of the maverick. It considers the fundamental question raised by the maverick tradition—communalism versus individualism—and looks at the important themes of Puritanism, nature, and democracy found in the work of both Billings and Heinrich.Less

We, the Rebels

Broyles Michael

Published in print: 2004-03-11

This book focuses on America's maverick composers, those who lived unusual lives or flaunted norms and wrote works that were considered incomprehensible and even unplayable. It examines the role of the maverick in American music and culture. It looks at a number of mavericks, most of whom are composers of art music, including William Billings, John Cage, Anthony Philip Heinrich, Frank Zappa, Charles Ives, Leo Ornstein, La Monte Young, Steve Reich, Carl Ruggles, Henry Cowell, Harry Partch, and Meredith Monk. The book shows that the maverick tradition lies at the center of the myth about rugged individualism. In tracing the history of the maverick tradition, the book considers the role of nature, both physically and metaphorically, in opposition to notions of science and progress. Moreover, it discusses the forces both in the musical community and in American culture that account for the rise of the maverick. It considers the fundamental question raised by the maverick tradition—communalism versus individualism—and looks at the important themes of Puritanism, nature, and democracy found in the work of both Billings and Heinrich.

This chapter illustrates the conditions of the Great Depression in the region and the failure of local and state governments to deal with the worst consequences of the international economic crisis. ...
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This chapter illustrates the conditions of the Great Depression in the region and the failure of local and state governments to deal with the worst consequences of the international economic crisis. Public aid remained almost non-existent, but when it did come, local and state politicians wielded relief policies as the latest in a long line of laws meant to tilt the power in labor relations further away from workers. This chapter examines the objective conditions of life during the 1930s. Continued deportation campaigns, higher unemployment rates, and lower wages exacerbated the problems already present in previous decades. Political solutions to these problems, even during the height of New Deal reformism, proved rare and fleeting as agribusiness interests and conservative politicians maintained control of much of the state despite countervailing pressures.Less

The Politics of Depression

John Weber

Published in print: 2015-10-26

This chapter illustrates the conditions of the Great Depression in the region and the failure of local and state governments to deal with the worst consequences of the international economic crisis. Public aid remained almost non-existent, but when it did come, local and state politicians wielded relief policies as the latest in a long line of laws meant to tilt the power in labor relations further away from workers. This chapter examines the objective conditions of life during the 1930s. Continued deportation campaigns, higher unemployment rates, and lower wages exacerbated the problems already present in previous decades. Political solutions to these problems, even during the height of New Deal reformism, proved rare and fleeting as agribusiness interests and conservative politicians maintained control of much of the state despite countervailing pressures.

The core motivation for Molinism is a desire to preserve a libertarian account of human freedom while at the same time defending a strong view of divine providence, but in recent times it was ...
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The core motivation for Molinism is a desire to preserve a libertarian account of human freedom while at the same time defending a strong view of divine providence, but in recent times it was introduced by Alvin Plantinga in order to rebut certain versions of the problem of evil. Viewed from this perspective concerning the problem of evil, the key ingredient of the view is the existence of counterfactuals of freedom — counterfactuals concerning what any free individual would freely do in a given set of circumstances. What we are interested in here, and what is most relevant to the context of theological reflection on the nature of God's providence, is not the counterfactuals themselves but rather the choice situation in which the individual in question is deliberating about what to do. This chapter argues that we need a more fundamental investigation, focusing on conditionals of deliberation rather than on counterfactuals of creaturely freedom. It is a quite natural assumption to think of conditionals of deliberation in terms of counterfactuals, and hence it is quite natural to clarify a Molinist account of providence in terms of counterfactuals. Such an identification, however, is a mistake. The chapter concludes that attempts to avoid the need to engage in this more fundamental investigation by showing that there is no coherent Maverick position have failed. The best remedy is to abandon such resistance and pursue the more fundamental investigation to see what the prospects are for an account of creation that makes room for libertarian freedom while leaving the doctrine of providence intact.Less

A Dead-End for Molinism

Jonathan L Kvanvig

Published in print: 2011-10-20

The core motivation for Molinism is a desire to preserve a libertarian account of human freedom while at the same time defending a strong view of divine providence, but in recent times it was introduced by Alvin Plantinga in order to rebut certain versions of the problem of evil. Viewed from this perspective concerning the problem of evil, the key ingredient of the view is the existence of counterfactuals of freedom — counterfactuals concerning what any free individual would freely do in a given set of circumstances. What we are interested in here, and what is most relevant to the context of theological reflection on the nature of God's providence, is not the counterfactuals themselves but rather the choice situation in which the individual in question is deliberating about what to do. This chapter argues that we need a more fundamental investigation, focusing on conditionals of deliberation rather than on counterfactuals of creaturely freedom. It is a quite natural assumption to think of conditionals of deliberation in terms of counterfactuals, and hence it is quite natural to clarify a Molinist account of providence in terms of counterfactuals. Such an identification, however, is a mistake. The chapter concludes that attempts to avoid the need to engage in this more fundamental investigation by showing that there is no coherent Maverick position have failed. The best remedy is to abandon such resistance and pursue the more fundamental investigation to see what the prospects are for an account of creation that makes room for libertarian freedom while leaving the doctrine of providence intact.

This chapter presents information on the theme and programs of the San Francisco Symphony's American Mavericks festival. Michael Tilson Thomas, the orchestra's music director worked hard to invest ...
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This chapter presents information on the theme and programs of the San Francisco Symphony's American Mavericks festival. Michael Tilson Thomas, the orchestra's music director worked hard to invest the theme with coherence. The theme proposed was fraught with volatile issues concerning American identity and the place of the arts in an egalitarian society. The opening was breathtaking. The timpanist, bestriding the top of an implied pyramid on a riser at the orchestra's rear, whacked out his barbaric yawp at the beginning of Ruggles's Sun-Treader with marvelously simulated abandon. The program notes were eloquent about the problems Crawford Seeger had to endure in her day because of the American modern-music world's misogyny, and about the impact of Babbittry on her style. Her Andante, gentle by comparison with Sun-Treader, strongly resembles Samuel Barber's nearly contemporaneous Adagio for Strings.Less

Corraling a Herd of Musical Mavericks

Richard Taruskin

Published in print: 2008-12-02

This chapter presents information on the theme and programs of the San Francisco Symphony's American Mavericks festival. Michael Tilson Thomas, the orchestra's music director worked hard to invest the theme with coherence. The theme proposed was fraught with volatile issues concerning American identity and the place of the arts in an egalitarian society. The opening was breathtaking. The timpanist, bestriding the top of an implied pyramid on a riser at the orchestra's rear, whacked out his barbaric yawp at the beginning of Ruggles's Sun-Treader with marvelously simulated abandon. The program notes were eloquent about the problems Crawford Seeger had to endure in her day because of the American modern-music world's misogyny, and about the impact of Babbittry on her style. Her Andante, gentle by comparison with Sun-Treader, strongly resembles Samuel Barber's nearly contemporaneous Adagio for Strings.

This chapter focuses on the concept of “maverick,” a term as American as the Stars and Stripes that the notion of the “maverick composer” is likewise unique to the United States. An important handful ...
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This chapter focuses on the concept of “maverick,” a term as American as the Stars and Stripes that the notion of the “maverick composer” is likewise unique to the United States. An important handful of American composers in the postwar years demonstrated a comparable lack of interest not in music but in the traditional business of music-making. As much as they could, they avoided the universities that supported so many of the modernists. They avoided, too, the opera companies and symphony orchestras that through commissions and performances supported so many of the mainstreamers. Occasionally, they banded together in collectives whose members pursued similar goals and thus were mutually influential. However, most of the time, the maverick composers of the Fifties marched to the beats of very different drummers.Less

Mavericks

James Wierzbicki

Published in print: 2016-02-15

This chapter focuses on the concept of “maverick,” a term as American as the Stars and Stripes that the notion of the “maverick composer” is likewise unique to the United States. An important handful of American composers in the postwar years demonstrated a comparable lack of interest not in music but in the traditional business of music-making. As much as they could, they avoided the universities that supported so many of the modernists. They avoided, too, the opera companies and symphony orchestras that through commissions and performances supported so many of the mainstreamers. Occasionally, they banded together in collectives whose members pursued similar goals and thus were mutually influential. However, most of the time, the maverick composers of the Fifties marched to the beats of very different drummers.